Total
by Imperial Mint
Summary: You don't always need a marriage contract to fall in love, but it's pretty hilarious when you find out your parents (well father) were convinced you were going to be a girl and drew up a contract stating you were to marry Uchiha Itachi (your current boyfriend): a story about Naruto's life. ItaNaru


**Pairing:** Itachi/Naruto

(also I've tried to be as non-cissexist as possible, but by the definition of the prompt - which involved a marriage contract - it is slightly cissexist so just be warned that this has slight casual cissexism in relation to the marriage contract)

Please note that I update about a month earlier onto Archive of Our Own, so please follow me and read my works over there if you'd like better updates. Thanks!

 **.**

The room was full of noise as children ran everywhere, and Minato stood still for a moment, eyes darting around the room. All of the children had dark hair and wore the crest of the Uchiha clan on their clothing, and they were like a strange pack of creatures, laughing and roaring and interested in one thing. And that thing was questioning the Yondaime Hokage.

"HOKAGE-SAMA!" one of the youngsters shouted, arms waving as dark eyes peered up. The little girl sniffed heavily, though it was fruitless as snot still continued to dribble from her nose, and she began to question Minato on his favourite things.

Children were disgusting, really, and Minato crouched down, laughing as the children crowded around him, curious to prod and pull at their village leader. Minato wondered if his own child would fit in well here, and he was about to reply to a question about whether the village could install guard tigers (because they're cool, one youngster supplied) when the head of the house returned, setting her shopping on the floor heavily.

"Oh Minato," Mikoto said, a flush rising to her cheeks. She brushed a hand over her stomach, eyes moving from Minato to look at one of the younger children sitting quietly at the edge of the group. "I didn't mean to leave you here, I thought Fugaku was with you?"

Minato had been at the Uchiha compound all morning, discussing the trade of personnel from ANBU to the police force and back, to strengthen the connections between Konoha and the Uchiha clan. Things had been shaky for a while when Minato had taken office, but he'd promised to sort it out. They'd been making giant leaps too, and Fugaku was someone Minato would happily call a friend, someone he trusted to work beside him every step of the way.

After all, he wanted to protect the world their children would be entering. Things would never be completely smoothed over, but Minato wanted to try his hardest. He didn't want his child to have to see war if he could help it.

"He was called out to handle some business and I said I'd keep an eye on the children until you were back," Minato replied, and Mikoto sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry for my husband's lack of manners," she said, casting an eye over the group of children, all of whom had grown suspiciously quiet. Minato saw her eyes widen in horror, mouth dropping open, and he understood why when he glanced behind himself. A few of the children were cheerfully colouring in his cloak, and Minato couldn't help the laugh that rose in him.

"It's good for me," Minato assured Mikoto as she offered to pay for the cleaning of the cloak. "Our little one will be along soon enough and I need to prepare," he said, and Mikoto eyed him doubtfully, but she seemed to accept his words.

"Not long now," she murmured, smiling as she collected her shopping and nodded for Minato to join her in the kitchen. "This one will be coming soon though, I can feel it," Mikoto said, pointing to her swollen stomach.

"Kushina still has a while yet," Minato said, and Mikoto set about gathering supplies for tea, calling for the children to go outside and play.

"Whoever's idea it was to put all the clan's children together clearly isn't a parent themselves," Mikoto said, glancing out of the window as a parade of children thundered past, calling out game ideas. "They're exhausting, though I wouldn't change them."

There was a pause, and Minato watched as one of the children – Mikoto and Fugaku's first born – lingered back, hovering before Minato. Mikoto turned to watch, and Minato could sense her curiosity, and the little boy opened his mouth before closing it.

"Thank you for protecting our village," the little boy said, and Minato's eyes widened. He nodded slowly, and the little boy wandered off, heading out to play with the others. Minato glanced at Mikoto, a fond smile on her face as she turned away from the window.

"Itachi is a gentle boy," she said, and Minato nodded. He didn't have the same energy that the other children did, or rather channelled it quietly, calmly. If he was to enter the ninja world then there was no doubt he'd rise to become a powerful ninja, though Minato hoped they wouldn't take his gentleness away.

"We hope his brother will be like him," Mikoto said, and Minato smiled widely.

"You already know it's a boy?" he said, and Mikoto nodded. "We're leaving ours as a surprise, but I have a feeling she'll be a girl."

Setting down a teapot and cups, Mikoto hummed to herself.

"A little girl would be nice," she said, patting her stomach. "I don't think I can do another one though, this one's been putting a lot of stress on my back and I don't think I could do this again."

Minato poured the tea for them, nodding sympathetically.

"It's unlikely we'll have another child, considering Kushina's circumstances," Minato said softly. It was a surprise that she'd fallen pregnant at all, all things considered, and the conversations they'd had about children had been that they were never going to have any. The baby had been an accident, in all truth, but that didn't mean it (she!) would be loved any less.

"Of course," Mikoto said gently, glancing to the open door thoughtfully. "When she's born, you should bring her over here. It would be good for her to play with others, and I could do with a few more little girls. The boys far outnumber us girls, unfortunately!"

It was a good idea, Minato thought, and he knew Kushina would be on board. She'd been worrying about their child making friends, what with being the child of a jinchūriki and the Hokage, so this would be perfect. It would be a great boost to the link between Konoha and the Uchiha clan as well. In fact there was only really one other thing that could bring them closer together and that was-

"A marriage contract!" Minato announced cheerfully, and Mikoto looked at him in confusion, sipping her tea delicately. "We should draw one up, my daughter and your eldest son."

Mikoto's eyebrows rose and she shook her head slightly. She was about to speak when someone else overtook her.

"A marriage contract?" Fugaku called from the other room, entering the kitchen a moment later. "What's this about a marriage contract?"

Minato grinned, knowing that Fugaku would understand him. It wouldn't be a forced contract either – if the children really didn't want to marry then Minato would never dream of making them. But this kind of contract could prove invaluable between their families, tying Uchiha closer to Konoha for the future and making the Uchiha integral to the village.

"My daughter could marry your Itachi," Minato stated simply, and he could see the whirling of Fugaku's mind as he processed the information. Minato saw the exact moment he agreed, realising how great a bond between them would be, and Fugaku joined them at the table.

"I wouldn't want it to bind them indefinitely, but I believe an alliance between us would be beneficial for us all," Minato added, and Fugaku nodded slowly.

"We'll need to discuss it," Fugaku replied, and Minato knew he had to convince Kushina this was a good idea before anything else. Still, Fugaku was clearly thinking about it, and that was a great sign. The Uchiha clan was too important to lose, so much so that Minato was willing to let his own daughter become a member of their clan (should she want to, of course).

"For now, Minato, would you help me round the children up? It's time they all got home for dinner, and Itachi wanted to show me something in one of his books anyway," Mikoto said, and Minato obliged right away, taking in the little nod Fugaku sent him as he wandered outside.

It was looking like a marriage contract would be in the works.

 **.**

Almost predictably, Kushina was against the idea.

"I will not chain our child to a future she or he cannot escape from! I know how that feels, and I will not put our child in that position," she said firmly, hands on her hips. She looked beautiful, and Minato bit the inside of his lip to comment on it. That would only make her more angry, and rightly so.

"It wouldn't be a binding contract," he said, "and our daughter wouldn't have to. She'll be friends with the Uchiha children anyway, you said the group thing was a good idea, and marriage prospects between Itachi and our child will be looked at before either of us consider any other prospects."

Kushina rolled her eyes dramatically.

"First of all, this baby might not even be a girl, so stop getting ahead of yourself. Secondly, what happened to marrying for love? Why does our child have to become a political figure to keep the Uchihas here? If a marriage contract between two children is the only thing that'll save it then help us all!" Kushina let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head as she clenched her fists.

"I can't believe you, Minato. This is our child we're talking about and you want to sell them off?" she said, words low, and Minato knew she was really angry with him.

"All the contract would do is suggest that we put them together and see what happens. The Uchiha family are stricter concerning arranged marriages so I expect Itachi will be sold off to someone regardless," Minato said, ignoring the sad look Kushina shot him, "but our daughter will get a choice. If she doesn't want to marry then she won't. This contract will build trust between us though, and by the time they're old enough to think about that sort of thing, an actual marriage won't matter anymore."

Kushina sighed again, letting her hands fall to her side. She turned, revealing the growing bump, and Minato felt something well in his chest.

"I'll let you go ahead with the contract," she agreed quietly. "I want our child to have peace, not war. But they must be allowed to marry whoever they want."

Minato walked over to her, wrapping Kushina in his arms and kissing her forehead.

"I'll do anything for the two of you," he said, and Kushina finally smiled, poking him in the chest.

"Well you can start by cooking dinner tonight then," she said cheekily, kissing him softly. "And then you can tell me what we're going to do to cheer Kakashi up. You know he hasn't been the same since he lost his team, and while you have me…"

Minato nodded. Kakashi had started in ANBU and there had only been one name he'd mentioned since joining, a young member of Danzō's organisation. It was a little worrying, and Minato knew Kakashi was walking a dangerous path.

"We'll get him around for dinner this week," Minato promised. Kushina smiled and his heart warmed.

Their daughter would be born into peace.

 **.**

The little baby was asleep, but Minato couldn't tear his eyes away. He shuffled, snorting, and Mikoto sighed softly from beside him, patting Minato's arm gently.

"I can't believe he's actually real," Minato said, and looked up at where Kushina was looking down on the other side of the basket. "He was inside of you just a day ago, and now look at him!"

"That's generally how pregnancy and birth works," Kushina said, looking up with a twinkle in her eyes. "I hope you're ready for when it happens to us in a few months."

The baby, Sasuke, wriggled, and they retreated to the kitchen, meeting a tired looking Fugaku in there. He was busy cooking food, but turned with a wide smile when he saw them, making sure Mikoto was comfortable as she sat down. Itachi was already there, a giant book splayed before him on the table, and he ignored them all in favour at peering at the words.

Minato was glad they had drawn up the contract. If his daughter wanted to pursue an arranged marriage, Uchiha Itachi was going to be a prime candidate. He was intelligent, had good genetics and was bound to be powerful. His family held a lot of influence and protected each other. Minato couldn't ask for a better match for his daughter. Still, if she didn't want Uchiha Itachi then Minato would accept that, even if he thought it was a ridiculous decision.

Love conquered all, Minato knew, and as long as his daughter was happy then he'd be happy, regardless of if she married an Uchiha, or even if she married at all.

 **.**

He was a boy, Minato registered. In his arms, cradled so carefully, Minato held his son. Distantly he heard the call of medics around him and someone trying to get his attention, but Minato was too busy staring at his beautiful, perfect son.

"Naruto," Minato whispered, tears trailing down his cheeks, even though he thought he'd already cried too much. "My Naruto."

Someone clasped his shoulder, and Minato started, whirling around to see the pale face of Jiraiya. He looked grim, but the look relieved somewhat as he looked down at the baby, eyes lighting up as he saw Naruto.

"Naruto is it," he murmured, and Naruto wiggled in Minato's arms. "Can I hold him?"

For a moment, Minato wanted to shake his head and pull Naruto closer to his chest, but he knew Jiraiya meant no harm. Jiraiya was his godfather, after all, and would likely end up Naruto's tutor at some point. Jiraiya would love Naruto just as Minato did, and so he passed Naruto over slowly, hands outstretched in case something happened. Nothing did, though, and Jiraiya settled Naruto, smiling as he rocked him gently.

"He's perfect," Jiraiya said, and Minato felt pride well in his chest. Of course his son was perfect!

"He is," Minato agreed, eyes watering up.

"Not even a full day old and he's already seen so much," Jiraiya murmured, and Minato's stomach clenched. Naruto was still naked under the blanket, and Minato was still covered in mess from the battle, but they'd made it.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jiraiya asked softly, guiding Minato over to a small line of chairs. They sat slowly, and while Minato didn't want to talk about it, he knew he had to. He didn't have the time to wallow in what had happened. Naruto needed his care and attention.

"Someone knew Kushina was in labour," he said, and Jiraiya nodded grimly. "They tore the Kyūbi from her, tried to control it, tried to destroy us all." Minato swallowed thickly, remembering the malice of the Kyūbi and how the beast had roared as it tried to break free of its bindings.

"We managed to seal it inside of… of Naruto. All of it." Minato winced, knowing he'd taken a risk. He'd used a seal different to any used before, one that didn't need the Shinigami summoning. It had been selfish, but Minato wanted to be there for his family. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his loved ones, or his precious village, and so he'd fought the only way he'd known how to.

"Kushina protected us from the Kyūbi. She…" Minato took a shaky breath, eyes falling on the hospital theatre before them. "They don't know if she'll survive."

Jiraiya nodded slowly, stroking Naruto's hair gently. Minato watched his hand move through his son's hair, the movement strangely comforting.

"Tsunade's in there now, so there's a good chance that she'll pull through. Kushina-chan will want to meet her son properly too, if only to rub it in your face that he's a boy." Minato smiled faintly at Jiraiya's words, though the thought that he was wrong was the furthest from his mind right now.

The door to the theatre opened then, and Minato shot upwards. A doctor nodded to him, approaching him slowly, and she spoke firmly.

"Kushina-san is being moved to intensive care. We believe she is through the worst, but she needs round the clock monitoring. The damage to her body was extensive, but Tsunade-sama believes she will make a full recovery in time." Minato's knees gave out in relief and he fell to the floor, not caring one bit he was sobbing in the middle of the hospital floor. Kushina was going to be okay!

"Thank you," he said looking up at the doctor. She smiled and nodded to Jiraiya, moving away as the door opened once more, this time with the full team and a bed carrying Kushina.

Minato hastened to follow them, striding through the hospital. Jiraiya followed silently, Naruto settled in his embrace, and Minato knew Jiraiya would keep him safe.

As Tsunade oversaw, Kushina was settled into intensive care, hooked up to various machines, and then the doctors shooed from the room until it was just Tsunade, Minato, Jiraiya and Naruto who sat beside Kushina. Minato watched her breathe slowly. Her skin was so pale and she looked so lifeless, but she was alive, and for that he was grateful.

"Can I have Naruto back?" Minato said, and Jiraiya passed over his son. "Here's your mother, Naruto," Minato said, holding Naruto up so he could look at Kushina. "She's a lot livelier than this, this will be the only time you'll see her this quiet."

Jiraya chuckled, and Minato found himself joining in a moment later. It was ridiculous, but now that he knew Kushina was through the worst of it, relief flooded through him. Naruto was here, safe and sound, Kushina was here, pulling through, and even Jiraiya and Tsunade were back. Naruto had already made huge ripples in the world and he wasn't even a day old.

"You're going to be extraordinary," Minato whispered to Naruto, stroking his cheek gently as he snuffled, fast asleep.

 **.**

It was the day of Naruto's first birthday and Minato was already covered in sticky food and had listened to too many children crying. Naruto had wandered off somewhere (and how that had happened, Minato had no idea, he could only just crawl, and he tended to head for the kitchen in hopes of food) and didn't want to be found, and so Minato had been sent trying to track down the birthday boy while Kushina entertained the rest of the children (of various ages, most of them were Uchihas though).

"Naruto!" Minato called, heading for Naruto's bedroom. Maybe he'd shuffled in there.

There was a sound coming from Naruto's room, and Minato poked his head in. There Naruto was, gargling as someone pointed out pictures in a book. Minato recognised Itachi, and he smiled, knowing that Itachi loved to teach the younger children anything he could.

The door creaked and Itachi looked up, eyes wide in panic, as if he expected Minato to tell him off.

"He kept bringing me this book," Itachi hurried to explain, pointing to a book about summoning animals. "And the others kept coming over in the other room and Naruto kept getting angry so-"

"Is he enjoying the book? I thought it would be a nice gift when I saw it. He's lucky to have someone like you to read it to him," Minato interrupted, sitting down on the floor with the two boys. Naruto gargled something and began crawling over, evidently ecstatic to see his father.

"I think so," Itachi said softly, looking away. "Sasuke doesn't like books much."

Minato could still remember the day he'd walked into the Uchiha compound with his newborn son. Fugaku had taken one look at the baby swaddled in Minato's arms and burst out laughing, doubling over. His laugh had been enough to cause Mikoto and a few others to join them on the street, and soon the news that Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Hokage, was visiting spread. All through it, Fugaku hadn't once stopped laughing.

Needless to say, the marriage contract had been abandoned. Those kinds of marriage contracts were intended for couples that would produce a child between them and so had been useless. Minato hadn't approached Fugaku about a same-sex marriage contract, knowing full well that such an offer would be turned down.

It wasn't that the older clans didn't accept those that weren't attracted only to the opposite sex, and if their members wanted to marry someone they loved, things like gender didn't matter. But the goal was to continue the line, that was something that was emphasised through all the clans. Itachi would be brought up with the intent he married someone who could produce an heir for him, and Naruto could not.

Despite their non-future-marriage, Itachi and Naruto did get on very well. And Sasuke too, though the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke was harder to tell as their range of interaction was usually crying or laughing at each other, making faces and crawling/shuffling around. It was hard to tell from that, but they seemed to be friends.

"You're always welcome to come and read to Naruto in that case," Minato said kindly, and Itachi looked at him with wide eyes.

"Really?" he said excitedly, looking at Naruto. "Can I even bring my big books?"

Minato nodded, turning to look out the door as he heard Kushina calling him.

"Shall we all get back the party? I think it's almost cake time," Minato said, and Naruto babbled to himself, probably recognising the word cake. Even Itachi smiled, and soon they were back with the other children, Minato handing out cake to grabby little hands.

It might not be fighting a war, but these children could certainly give a seasoned ninja a run for their money, Minato thought, as he tried (and failed) to dodge another sticky hand.

Still, he thought as he watched Naruto shuffle around on his bum, laughing his head off madly to himself, he'd do anything for these children. They were the precious future, after all.

 **.**

At the age of nineteen, Uzumaki Naruto could be found currently sneaking through a window of the Uchiha compound, trying to shush his companion as they unsuccessfully tried to remain quiet.

"This is all your fault Sasuke," Naruto complained, trying to get his foot off the window. It was harder than it sounded, and he grumbled under his breath, still annoyed they had to leave a nice warm house to traipse through a forest for hours in the dark.

"Shut it," Sasuke replied, pulling Naruto away from the window. His foot slipped, kicked over a lamp and sent it crashing to the ground.

"Shit," Naruto hissed, bolting behind the door as they heard someone walking down the hallway, Sasuke slipping into his bed as if he'd never left.

"Are you okay?" came a deep voice, and Naruto leant back against the wall, trying to see through the gap between the door and the wall. He could just about see Itachi's shoulder, and that was it. Naruto curled his lip in disappointment; he'd always wanted to see what Itachi looked like at night, and had always wondered if he let his hair down or not.

And, well, other things that Itachi may or may not get up to at night, but it would be inappropriate to think of those now, so Naruto pushed them out of his mind and focused on keeping hidden.

"Yes," Sasuke said curtly. "I just knocked my lamp down," he continued, silence filling the room uncomfortably after his words.

"Alright then," Itachi said eventually, and Naruto heard him take a step back. Through the gap he could see a profile, though anything distinguishing (including hair) was hidden in the darkness. Itachi turned, eyes peering through the door, and Naruto noticed him smile ever so slightly.

Shit.

"Goodnight then Sasuke," he said, turning away. "And you too, Naruto."

The door closed, and Naruto winced. They really thought they'd been getting away with it, but perhaps they'd been a bit overzealous with the thinking. Itachi was an ANBU captain after all, so really it was a good thing he'd noticed the two of them sneaking out. Naruto just hoped he thought it was for a cooler reason than what they were actually doing.

"Please don't make me go trekking through the fucking forbidden forest looking for stupid moss again, Sasuke," Naruto said, flopping down onto Sasuke's bed. For his troubles, he was rewarded with a kick in the back, and Sasuke making no promises not to drag him on a moss quest again.

"Every time you say it's something really important and every time I fall for it. Why do you even want this stupid glowy moss?" Naruto moaned, and Sasuke sighed far too heavily for it to be real.

"I told you, it's for my father. He's making a little indoor garden thing and he's been going on and on about this moss for ages. If I get it for him, it'll be amazing," Sasuke said, jamming his toe into Naruto's back for emphasis.

"Why do I need to go though? Next time can you just leave me with Itachi or something, I don't want to be involved with glowing moss anymore," Naruto muttered, closing his eyes. When Sasuke didn't reply right away he opened them again, frowning at the look on Sasuke's face.

"What?" he asked, and Sasuke looked at him with narrow eyes, clearly thinking about something.

"You want to stay here with Itachi?" Sasuke said slowly, and Naruto realised his mistake. He shrugged, playing it cool, and closed his eyes again.

"Anything is better than the forbidden forest," Naruto muttered, but it was too late. Sasuke was going to be like a dog after a bone now.

"But you want to stay here. With Itachi. Even if he keeps trying to show you things in his books. And you hate books. But you still want to stay with him. Even if he shows you the books."

Naruto moved his arm to hit Sasuke's leg, making a noise of disapproval.

"Stop it," he said, and Sasuke gave a little snort of laughter.

"Naruto," he said despairingly, "you're disgusting. Why do you even like Itachi like that, I thought you thought he was boring."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. He'd never thought Itachi was boring, even after his massive childhood idolisation phase. Thankfully he'd grown out of that quickly, though he'd drifted from Itachi since then, becoming closer to Sasuke. Itachi had been busy with work, Naruto busy with training, and then one day he'd just, well, noticed Itachi properly.

"Stop it," Naruto begged again. It was weird enough talking about his crush in the open, let alone with his crush's brother. "It'll never happen anyway. You don't have to worry about me becoming your brother by marriage or something."

Sasuke snorted.

"You should see some of the girls' fathers throwing at Itachi in hopes he'll marry one of them. They don't want to be there, Itachi doesn't want to be there, it's just so awkward. At this stage I'd prefer you marry him because then the stupid parade of potential suitors will stop and Itachi will actually like coming back here. He has his own place, you know?" Sasuke said, and Naruto hummed, remembering the controversy it had caused when Itachi had bought a small apartment closer to the heart of Konoha. The clan believed the clan should remain on their own ground, but Itachi had insisted. Eventually he'd won, but he still returned to the compound often enough to appease those who were worried he'd turn his back on the clan.

"So whatever. If you can marry him, please do and stop all the nonsense. You have my permission, there you go, welcome to the family." Sasuke rolled over, displacing Naruto ad he did so, and Naruto slipped to the floor with a groan.

"You can't just marry Itachi off like that," he mumbled. "Besides, he should marry someone he loves."

Sasuke peered down at him, eyes narrowed, giving Naruto that look he gave whenever Naruto was being particularly dim witted and not getting something.

"What?" Naruto said, remembering the last time Sasuke had looked at him like that had been when Kakashi had been quizzing them on chakra theory. And so what if Naruto didn't like books, they were too complicated to puzzle out. He preferred practical learning, thank you very much, and theory was ridiculous.

"Just remember what I said, okay?" Sasuke muttered, voice clouded with sleep. He was silent not long after, leaving Naruto to haul himself up out of bed and try to sneak home without waking anyone. He considered the window – his usual exit point – but decided against it after the lamp fiasco. Some plant had stung his foot in the forest and limited his movement, so he'd be better sneaking through to the front door.

He did it perfectly, a skill he'd attuned over the years, and Naruto sighed deeply as he slid the front door shut. Stupid Sasuke and his stupid moss and-

There was someone waiting in the darkness. Instantly Naruto was alert, mind scanning through the possible attacks he could use. He felt Kurama's chakra stir in the pit of his stomach if he needed it (though such a bright light would impact his stealth very badly), and he could gather some sage chakra if he needed to. Naruto crouched slightly, staring at the figure moving out of the shadows, and relaxed when he saw it was only Itachi.

"I thought you were some shady fucker," Naruto said with a laugh, bringing his arms up to rest behind his head, elbows in the air. "Sorry if I woke you up," he added, but Itachi just shook his head, motioning to the path that would lead them out of the compound.

"I was already up, about to head home actually. I thought I might as well wait for you, the walk is a long one when you're alone in the dark," Itachi said, and Naruto looked at him, noticing for the first time that he was in standard ninja wear, not sleeping clothes or anything.

"I didn't realise," Naruto said, looking at the path. "I assumed you were staying there tonight."

"I was doing some reading in the family library after helping my mother with something," Itachi said, and Naruto wanted to shudder at the thought of the books in the Uchiha library. Too many words, Naruto thought. "I lost track of time though, but fortunately my team is off rotation right now."

"That's good," Naruto commented, and an awkward silence fell between them. Naruto was itching to say something, but everything he could think of sounded so stupid.

As they walked, their hands brushed against each other, and Naruto looked away, daring to keep his hand where it was. Itachi either didn't notice or didn't mind either, for he made no move to pull his arm away. It was a comforting thought, though it didn't make the silence any less awkward.

It wasn't long before they reached the housing section of the village, and they came to a standstill by Naruto's road. He paused and glanced at Itachi, smiling widely.

"I'll probably see you tomorrow when Sasuke wants me to go looking for glowing moss again," Naruto said, but Itachi didn't reply. He looked as though he was thinking of something else entirely, and Naruto shrugged, making to head back towards his family home.

"Are you planning on sneaking back in?" Itachi asked suddenly, and Naruto froze, turning back around.

"I've almost mastered it, though Kaa-chan always has a go at me in the morning. Apparently she can hear every step and I interrupt her important sleep." Naruto shook his head with a smile. Kushina might tell him off whenever he woke his parents, but Naruto knew she didn't really mind. Most of the time Naruto thought she was disappointed he had come home and wasn't up to anything scandalous.

"I usually just go round another friend's house if I've been with them, but I've been out most of this week and I don't want to bother Sakura-chan again. I think her parents are getting the wrong impression, and we all know Ino won't be very happy if rumours spring up that they've added me into the mix of their relationship." Naruto rolled his eyes dramatically, and Itachi nodded his head.

"Why don't you come back to mine?" he said, and Naruto looked up at him slowly, heart pounding in his chest at the unexpected offer. It could just be a simple stay over at Itachi's or…

Naruto took a step closer, and another, until he was before Itachi.

"Back to yours," he said, voice low as he searched Itachi's eyes for an answer to his silent question. There was a moment where Naruto thought that Itachi was going to turn away, but then he licked his lips slowly and moved, pulling Naruto against him as they kissed, holding him there as they parted.

"Back to mine," Itachi confirmed, and Naruto smiled. The circumstances were sudden and not what he'd expected at all, but Naruto certainly wasn't going to turn them down. He nodded and Itachi too his hand, threading their fingers as they moved down the street and to Itachi's home.

If one night was all he got, Naruto would seize the opportunity with everything he had.

 **.**

Except, it didn't stay as a one night thing. In fact, a many-night-thing turned into a many-week-thing and the many-week-thing escalated into them celebrating a year's anniversary in Amegakure.

"I still can't believe Tou-chan let me come to Ame after the fiasco last time," Naruto said, stretching out on the bed of the inn they'd booked for a few days. "Which reminds me, Nagato and Konan should have a report of the Akatsuki's movements – is that how you got leave to come to Ame?"

Itachi nodded. He was one of the top trackers of the Akatsuki and it wasn't uncommon to find Itachi in Ame. Picking it as a place to spend their anniversary had been inspiring, if Naruto did say so himself.

He still couldn't quite believe that it had been a year since Itachi had invited him back to his house. An entire year! Not even in his wildest dreams had Naruto thought something like that would happen, and yet here he was, a year later in the company of someone he loved very much.

The morning after their first night, Itachi had explained that he'd had feelings for Naruto for a while, but that he'd never thought anything would come of it. Until he'd heard Sasuke teasing Naruto, of course, and while Naruto had bloomed a bright red in that instant, Itachi had simply laughed and kissed his nose, stating that he was glad Sasuke had, or he might not have ever known.

Things hadn't always been easy for them. No relationship was ever serenely perfect, and there had been long weeks when Itachi was tracking the Akatsuki and Naruto was busy training in Kumogakure, forging bonds between the remaining Jinchūriki. There was one notable almost two month period where they hadn't seen each other at all, and when they had finally come together again, they'd both been too tired to do anything but nod at each other and head to their respective households for sleep.

They managed to keep it a secret too. Or mostly a secret, Sasuke knew everything, and Naruto was pretty sure a few of his other friends had guessed, but for the most part, it was a secret. It wasn't that they were ashamed of each other, but there were other things going on right now, things that needed more attention. Plus, Naruto didn't fancy explaining to his parents why he was never going to give them any biological grandchildren. They'd probably be okay, but it was hassle he didn't need.

Why change things when they worked so well, after all? Eventually they would open up and let everyone know, but it wasn't unexpected for a relationship to remain quiet. Everyone did it these days!

"I was thinking," Itachi said, rolling over in the bed and setting his book down. If Itachi was setting books aside then whatever he had to say was important, and Naruto turned slightly so he could look at Itachi without craning his neck. "How would you feel if we told my parents?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. They'd once talked about telling Itachi's parents, and Itachi had been firmly against it, a notion Naruto seconded. He may be practically adopted into the Uchiha clan by now, but Fugaku and Mikoto still scared Naruto right down to the core. They were traditionalists in every sense of the word, and Naruto didn't think they'd take too kindly to their eldest son and heir not being one to marry a high price woman.

"They won't be that bad," Itachi muttered, looking down and playing with a crease in the bedsheet. "I'm just tired of pretending one day I'll marry one of the prospects they want to line up. I want them to know I'm more than someone who can be shipped off as a bargaining chip."

Naruto slipped his hand under the covers, catching Itachi's hand before it slipped away.

"I don't mind," Naruto admitted. It would be nice, he thought, to walk through the streets of Konoha holding Itachi's hand. They wouldn't have to hide on dates or sneak off to the next village over – maybe telling everyone was something they really should do.

"You know I'll support you whatever happens," Naruto said gently, and this was really the crux of it all. They knew that relationships of all types were accepted commonly across Konoha, but there was always the fear that their own family would turn on them. Naruto didn't think he'd be able to bear it if his mother and father hated him just because he loved Itachi, and so he'd simply run away from having to find out their reaction.

"What I want," Itachi said, shuffling a little closer and squeezing Naruto's hand. Naruto could see the heat in his eyes and he rolled on top of Itachi, pushing the covers away with a grin. "What I want is to show you off to everyone in Konoha," Itachi continued, and Naruto scooted back slightly, closing his eyes as a spark of pleasure flowed through him.

"What if I want to show you off? What do we do then?" Naruto said, shifting his hips. Itachi twitched under him, lips spreading into a smile as he reached up, hands brushing Naruto's hair away from his face.

"I suppose we can take it in turns then," he said, and Naruto leant down, kissing him softly.

"Happy anniversary," he whispered as he pulled back, and the look Itachi gave him was everything Naruto had ever wanted.

If he had Itachi by his side, telling the parents would be easy.

 **.**

Of course, by the time they got back to Konoha, something else had happened and Itachi was whisked away on an ANBU mission while Naruto joined Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura and Sai to track Orochimaru. Sasuke had conveniently gotten out of this mission, and considering Orochimaru was still trying to bite him with the cursed mark it was for the best. Well. Okay, so he didn't know they were going after Orochimaru, but that was for the best as Sasuke would have wanted to join them, and Minato had made it Very Clear that Sasuke was to be kept away from Orochimaru at all costs.

"How was the anniversary?" Kakashi asked as they set up camp, and Naruto looked up slowly, all of his team members looking at him with interest. Colour flooded Naruto's cheeks and he dropped the bedrolls he had been setting out.

"What?" he said, looking away and frowning. "What anniversary?"

Sakura laughed. Loudly.

"We all know Naruto, there was even a bet going on where you guys would spend the special day. Please tell me you went to Nami no Kuni and consummated the bridge in celebration?" Sakura said, looking ridiculously hopeful.

"First of all that's disgusting, no I did not have sex on that bridge. Secondly, it was Ame we went to, and thirdly, how the hell do all of you know?" Naruto ignored them all as they each forked over money to Kakashi, who looked extremely smug with himself. Evidently he'd won their little bet.

"Anyone who spends enough time around you can see you mooning over Itachi whenever he's around. And Itachi might as well be an honorary member of the team, the amount of time he spends with us, pretending he's spending lunch with friends or training with people outside of his team." Kakashi shrugged, tucking the money away. "

"We were subtle," Naruto muttered, picking up the bedding he'd dropped and setting it out with a sigh.

"You really weren't," Sai said cheerfully, and Naruto swore if he was selling porn drawings of him and Itachi he'd kill Sai, team mate or not. It was something Sai would do, and Naruto had had to cut down on black market drawings of him naked before (though they had been amazingly flattering, so if a few were still in existence then well…)

"Who else knows?" Naruto said dismally, wondering if his and Itachi's plans to tell their parents were just a waste of time. It would be quite nice if they already knew, Naruto thought.

"Most of our friends," Sakura said, "maybe Itachi-san's team members? I have no idea. If you're worried about your parents though," Sakura said, trailing off and looking to Kakashi.

"They have no idea," Kakashi supplied. "I don't think Mikoto-san or Fugaku-san do either. Your parents, for all their amazing ninja prowess, are astoundingly oblivious."

"Right," Naruto muttered, flopping down on one of the bedrolls. "Well I'll be here for the next however many hours."

When they eventually returned to the village, Naruto was prepared to just shout from the Hokage tower about his relationship, but there were rumours that overshadowed anything Naruto wanted to do. As soon as his team returned to Konoha they heard them, whispers that Uchiha Itachi was leaving the ANBU forces.

It wasn't unexpected, really. Itachi had been thinking about it for a while now, but Naruto still felt a little put out that he'd heard from the village gossip mill rather than Itachi himself.

"I don't know how the information leaked, the only person I'd talked about it was Minato-san," Itachi said with a sigh, leaning slightly against Naruto as they stood outside the police force offices. They were waiting for Fugaku before returning to the Uchiha family home to celebrate.

"It's a good thing," Naruto said firmly. While he knew Itachi would still go on high profile and dangerous missions, they would be able to see more of each other now he'd be in the village for longer periods of time. "You need a break anyway."

Itachi nodded, straightening up as Fugaku exited the police headquarters. He patted Itachi's shoulder gently, beaming proudly at his son, before he greeted Naruto.

"I heard you managed to destroy two of Orochimaru's bases and bring back some invaluable information," Fugaku said, looking at Naruto seriously. He'd thanked Naruto many times before for stopping Orochimaru, but it always felt strange for Naruto to be thanked by Fugaku. It was something he doubted he'd ever get used to.

"You're doing great work," he said, patting Naruto's shoulder just as he had Itachi's. "Both of you. Now come on, Sasuke's been fuming since you both left – he's been stuck covering someone's genin team the poor little things – and we have lots of food to eat."

The celebrations were in full swing when Minato and Kushina walked in, a present in hand. Naruto stared at them for a moment, wondering if he should have been polite and brought a present or something, but shrugged it off, and returned to detailing the mission to Sasuke.

"So then everything went kaboom," Naruto said sagely, crossing his arms over his chest and trying not to let his eyes follow Itachi as he greeted Kushina and Minato.

"Kaboom," Sasuke deadpanned, and Naruto looked back at him, rolling his eyes.

"Pretty much yeah. How were the genins?" he sniped back, and Sasuke flicked a grain of rice at him from his plate.

"More respectful than you, that's for sure." There was a pause. "Itachi's getting on well with the in-laws," he quipped, and Naruto span around, trying (and failing) to be subtle in his spying.

"Stop it," Naruto said, though there was no bite in his words. He was used to Sasuke's quips by now, though he didn't usually say them in a room full of parents.

"He is though. Have you decided when you're going to tell them yet?" Sasuke asked, and the teasing tone had slipped from his voice. "They won't care. They'll be happy for you," he said, and Naruto sighed, shrugging.

"I know. I think. No, I know," he said, looking at Sasuke and shrugging again. "It's just this really big thing, is all. It's probably for nothing, but I…" Naruto broke off, watching his mother whisper something into Itachi's ear and the two of them laugh.

Near the kitchen, Fugaku and Mikoto were busy talking to each other, lost in their own world, and Naruto realised that everything he'd ever wanted was in this room. This was his family, and while he'd always known that on some level, he could see that his relationship with Itachi wouldn't change a single thing. At least negatively.

"I'm going to do it," Naruto said, a grin spreading across his face. He moved towards the centre of the room, ignoring Sasuke hissing his name, trying to pull him back. This was it, he thought, and if he didn't do it now, he never would.

Naruto stood in the centre of the room, hands on his hips and a determined look on his face. He felt courage well in his chest, and the entire room fell silent as they realised Naruto had something to say. He looked at Itachi, smiled widening, and Itachi seemed to get what was about to happen, for he smiled and gave a look that clearly said nothing could stop him.

"Itachi and I have been dating for over a year!" Naruto called, and there was a moment where no one moved. It felt as though everyone was holding their breath, and Naruto wondered for a terrible second if he'd made a mistake.

And then the room erupted in laughter. Naruto glanced between Itachi and Sasuke to check that they were as confused as he was as their parents doubled over laughing, all howling at the top of their lungs.

"Um," Naruto said, retreating back to Sasuke's side, eyes wide as he saw tears rolling down his father's cheeks. "Um," he repeated, unsure what else he could say.

"You broke them," Sasuke muttered, voice incredulous as he watched Fugaku go down, knees hitting the floor with a dull thud. Itachi came to stand with them, eyes not settling on one person for too long.

"Do we get someone to help them? Sakura-chan will be able to fix them," Naruto said doubtfully. It wasn't that much of a shock was it? To find out he and Itachi were together?

"Minato!" Fugaku said suddenly, wheezing as he wiped his cheeks. "Minato!"

"I know," Minato said, and he took a deep breath, smiling almost ridiculously wide as he looked at Naruto. Kushina was still laughing, though her laugh had died down to silent shakes of her shoulder, and Mikoto was resting against the wall, holding her stomach and grinning. It was the strangest sight Naruto had seen from them all, and a quick glance at Itachi and Sasuke confirmed they were just as puzzled as he was.

"I think I still have it," Fugaku said, and he hurried off, footsteps pounding through the house as he vanished.

"Is anyone going to explain?" Sasuke said, and Kushina snorted, patting Minato on the shoulder.

"It's better if you wait to see," she said, looking over her shoulder as Mikoto moved to sit at the table. "Really."

"Come and take a seat, boys," Mikoto called, and they obliged, taking their seats in a mils state of confusion.

"I found it!" Fugaku shouted through the house, stomping back in with a large envelope. Naruto looked at it curiously as Fugaku took some papers out, eyebrows shooting upwards as he read the title of the contract.

"A marriage contract?" he said, voice higher than usual. Sasuke and Itachi both honed in on the papers, Itachi taking them from his father, reading through the front page. His eyes widened as he continued reading, he glanced at Naruto, and then he began laughing, sparking another round of giggles from everyone else.

"What?" Naruto said, snatching the papers from Itachi and holding them so he and Sasuke could read them. His stomach wobbled nervously, but the nerves dissolved as he took the words in.

"You thought I was going to be a girl so you decided to marry me off? And you cancelled it because I was a boy?" Naruto looked at his parents, then Itachi. "That's a bit sexist," he muttered, thumbing through the papers.

"The point of the contract was to produce an heir," Kushina said, leaning forwards. "And it was the most informal contract anyway, it was more of an idea to tie our families together than something that would actually happen. It was dissolved so you two wouldn't feel you had any obligations to fulfil this contract," Kushina finished, tilting her head to the side, eyes sliding to Itachi.

"We can reinstate it if you want," Fugaku offered, and Naruto felt his cheeks heat. He looked away, determined not to fall into the trap, shrugging.

"Can we hurry up and eat the food now, I'm starving," he said, and the room broke out into laughter once again. Itachi, blessed, wonderful Itachi, gathered some food up and came to sit beside Naruto while the others just sat there and laughed.

Maybe he would marry Itachi after all.

 **.**

Kushina had vanished a while ago, roaring in laughter with her arm through Mikoto's as they kicked off their high heels and headed for the gardens. Minato had no idea where they were (he didn't want to know in all honesty), and he was quite comfortable in his chair, slightly swaying in time to the music.

"It's been a beautiful day," some said as they sat down next to Minato, and he looked over slowly, drunken buzz lifting slightly. He smiled as Fugaku leant in, setting his glass down on the table.

"It has," Minato agreed, looking over to the few couples left on the dance floor. He could see Kakashi and Yamato, as well as Kurenai and Asuma, their son demanding to ride on his dad's feet as they danced, and a few of Naruto's friends. Naruto and Itachi were long gone, thankfully as Minato wasn't sure he wanted to see them crawling on top of one another again, shepherded off before they could traumatise any children from a dark corner.

"I'm glad," Fugaku said softly, and Minato nodded, understanding the weight of all those words. His gaze drifted to where Sasuke was dancing with a group of his classmates, happiness clear on his face.

"I know," Minato said, and while there were threats on the horizon, Konoha and her people were strong. They loved each other, and that was all that mattered, at the end of the day.

 **.**

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